The Rime of the Adopted Dog

The Rime of the Adopted Dog

The cops found me alone and lost
In a bad part of the city.
I had had a decent home
But now things were quite gritty (I don’t swear!).

They put me in a wire cage
And took me for a ride.
If not for my wagging tail
I think I might have cried.

In a loud room filled with barking dogs
I had to wait and wait
For my family to come claim me –
But that would not be my fate

They never showed, they never called
They didn’t seem to care.
How could they let me stay in here
When they were right out there?

The shelter had so many dogs
It would crowd up and then
One by one would “take a walk”
And not come back again.

One day a lady stopped and stared
And asked to take me out.
Would this be the final walk
I had so worried about?

Would this be the end of me?
The mellow yellow pup?
With love to give and life to live
Was my number already up?

We started walking down the aisle
Past dogs with eyes so pleading
I could not bear to think
Of all the homes that they were needing.

Why were they here and not out there?
Did they really deserve this?
Where were their homes, their families?
No wonder they looked nervous.

Down the aisle with head hung low
I slunk to face my fate
But then she took me in her arms
And walked me through a gate.

We played and snuffled for an hour
At last she said to me,
“How about I take you home
And find you a new family?”

As we walked out that cold fall day
I had to wonder why
I had gotten so lucky when
So many others would die.

She found me a forever home
It’s been eight great years since then
But every so often in a bad dream
I’m back in the shelter again.

And so I ask you humbly,
To help end all this strife,
To adopt, to rescue, not to buy
In short, to save a life.

Barked By Jake, (Marie Goodavage-mommy)